Sick by Gabby Schulz @ NYJB
“Sick” by Gabby Schulz is the quintessential graphic novel for this violent, demented, and hypocritical epoch of American history. Continue reading Sick by Gabby Schulz @ NYJB
Category: horror
An Interview with Nicole Cushing
Earlier this month over at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography, I reviewed “Mr. Suicide,” by Nicole Cushing. As my review went online, I found out Cushing’s book won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Debut Horror Novel. In this interview, Nicole and I discuss cons, “likeable characters,” Louisville, Kentucky, and the definition of evil. Continue reading An Interview with Nicole Cushing
An Interview with Michael Sean LeSueur
Last February, I reviewed “Pixiegate Madoke” by Michael Sean LeSueur at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography (CCLaP). I had an email interview with Michael, where we discussed gender politics, bizarro literature, and pop culture. Continue reading An Interview with Michael Sean LeSueur
CCLaP Fridays: Mr. Suicide by Nicole Cushing
“Mr. Suicide” by Nicole Cushing is a dark novel of dysfunction, abuse, and violence. Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: Mr. Suicide by Nicole Cushing
Father of Lies, by Brian Evenson @ NYJB
Eldon Fochs is a Provost in the Corporation of the Blood of the Lamb, also known as “Bloodites.” The fictional Bloodite religion bears outward features to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, with recommendation cards for entry into temple ceremonies and a hierarchy of leadership. Fochs visits Alexander Feshtig, a devout Bloodite psychiatrist, in order to curtail his disturbing thoughts and bad dreams. This visit sets off a chain of events that lay bare unspeakable evils in Father of Lies by Brian Evenson’s. Originally written in 1998, Father of Lies was reprinted by Coffee House Press along … Continue reading Father of Lies, by Brian Evenson @ NYJB
Critic’s Notebook: David Bowie and the Physiology of Taste
The Argument David Bowie’s recent death has closed a page on music history. On a more personal level, Bowie has been a constant in my life for decades. Beyond mere 80s nostalgia (Labyrinth) or 90s nostalgia (Lost Highway, Outside, and Earthling), Bowie has been instrumental to me personally as a taste-maker. He led me down strange avenues and provided the raw material for discovery and aesthetic experimentation. Embryo My fascinating with David Bowie began early. I can still remember the first Bowie album I bought, sometime in the Nineties. It was a CD of Tonight (1984), an album even Bowie … Continue reading Critic’s Notebook: David Bowie and the Physiology of Taste
Translation Tuesdays: Arvida, by Samuel Archibald @ NYJB
The small town of Arvida, Quebec, becomes the focal point for Samuel Archibald’s haunting short story collection. Continue reading Translation Tuesdays: Arvida, by Samuel Archibald @ NYJB
Eerie Archives Volume 20 @ NYJB
Eerie Archives Volume 20 is “a delightful sampler of the grotesque and absurd.” Continue reading Eerie Archives Volume 20 @ NYJB
On Being Human Redux: Frankenstein Underground, by Mike Mignola and Ben Stenbeck
When I wrote “On Being Human,” I wrote an essay on Mike Mignola’s “Hellboy.” “Frankenstein Underground” expands on Mignola’s pulpy universe, giving us a fun graphic novel about Frankenstein’s monster. Continue reading On Being Human Redux: Frankenstein Underground, by Mike Mignola and Ben Stenbeck
Commonplace Book: Choice excerpts from “Satanskin,” by James Havoc
Happy Halloween! Enjoy a few choice excerpts from James Havoc’s cult classic, “Satanskin.” Continue reading Commonplace Book: Choice excerpts from “Satanskin,” by James Havoc
The Driftless Area Review 